itu

That. Is. Shiny!

One easy solution while travelling along with an instrument is to have a copy of the proof of purchase. I had it with me when I travelled to Switzerland in May. I also walked to the airport Customs and asked for a paper, that I have this and that with me. The paper cost nothing and filling it took a few minutes (I had made a paper with names, serials, and approx. prices that was attached to the official paper). Then the friendly lady behind the counter put a very official looking stamp to it. Let's see, the paper is somewhere here...

https://tulli.fi/en/private-persons/more-on-customs-clearance/clearing-export-goods-through-customs# 

OK, the actual paper is not here (have not been able to find it from the net), but here is something about the temporary export:

https://tulli.fi/en/private-persons/more-on-customs-clearance/temporary-export-of-goods

Although the pages tell about ID's and so on, the paper was there in the Customs and there was no need to do anything special. Just use a pen and fill the list.

I have one in my Vigier Passion (Schaller, headstock) and another in my Ibanez (Ibanez, bridge). Both have a screw with which the fine tuning has to be done. They seem to keep their adjustments really well.

As I try to learn more about music every day, that 20 % is now clearly bigger amount of stuff than it was 30 years ago, when I was so young, so sure about everything, and so wrong. There is still that 80 % that is growing, too, but maybe some Schönberg atonality is not so important to me after all.

There is much theory available, but I see theory as a tool: it is there for us to understand some complicated stuff. It is there like a wrench that is needed once in ten years when repairing an old Ford Fiasco. I can not say that I loved those seemingly unnecessary parts of theory (or that Ford!), but I can assure you that my taste has changed, if not evolved, over time. Even that Schönberg has some interesting stuff.

II: listen more, learn more, play more :II

repeat ad lib

9 hours ago, Bassassin said:

Because there's no need - they've just shortened the scale length to (presumably) 33-ish, and shunted the whole lot up the neck. 12th fret position moves, so no need to shift the bridge. The physical length of the neck stays the same as the standard bass. Same with Wyman's I'd expect.

And this is the reason, the d-b-e strings matched. If the neck was any shorter, the strings wouldn't fit. Thank you @Bassassin.

So Fender is a brand that continuously updates and improves the recipe that has been in use since 1948? Give me a break. If I would be interested in an "improved" jazz or precision, I certainly would not look at Fender, maybe Lull, Sadowsky, de Gier, Overwater etc. Better quality and bang for buck.

My Vigiers have their serials furthest away from the headstock. Rickenbacker...

I find this twofold: the manufacturing year is one thing and when the usage started, another.

2 hours ago, NikNik said:

 Is that what you are asking about?

No. I had a bass with d-b-e strings and there were no length choices. Rotosound was the brand at the time, late 80's.

How do the double-ball-end strings match with the hardware?

For me that parallel or series was not the answer. So I split the freq range to lower (no effects, except comp) and higher band (effects in series). This way it is very easy to use the effects without mudding or screwing the low end.

Brave new world.

If anybody asks me, I will steer them to find an ergonomic solution.

1) scale length? (estimated together)

2) style?

3) a used or a new one and why?

4) some instrument suggestions ⁸based on these and the price range.

It is also reasonable to suggest:

a) professional setup and at least

b) new strings, a light set of 40-100 is a good start for a beginner,

c) a wide strap and

d) one quality silicone cable.

I live in a country that has pretty big changes in temp, so if a bag is in order, thicker is better to reduce temp shocks.

Last, but definitely not least is a test drive. I want to try the instrument and I want that the person tries it, too.

This is just one way.

7 hours ago, tauzero said:

Ring = red = right.

Exactly, thanks, my translation abilities seem to be louse, as these basic things got messed. My bad.

Recycle.

It does not matter if there is some coating. That plastic related stuff and silk will be separated in the processes. Also iron, nickel, chrome, cobalt etc. can be separated from each other. That tiny brass part or bronze goes along, no need to worry.

Something to do with pickups? 

I have seen and played a similar blue one that was made for the Cirque de Soleil bassist. Have to say that the bass had convincing sound and feel. For the price, this is a steal.

1 hour ago, donslow said:

...so generally speaking, the harder/stronger/thicker the materials used, the more tension will be required to tighten that string to get it to pitch?!

You are on a right track. You could try to tune your D-string to the same pitch as your G. Maybe you lost that D, as it might break, and at least the neck gets substantially more tension to it. It has to put equally much tension against the strings to keep itself straight. Here truss rod adjustment helps. It is there for different gauges and tunings, i.e. tensions.

The core can be thick and the winding round it thin - or vice versa, and still you have two strings with equal thickness. But the mass may differ, and the force to tune it to certain frequency is different = different tension.

Remember, as an example there are flatwounds with nylon wound. Again the cross section may be the same as some other set, but the ratio of mass / length is not.

http://www.rotosound.com/tru-bass-88/

Pound for pound, the best P bass for me is still in the shop. Do not want one. Money saved.

I would like to hear your suggestions for training during one week. Sometimes there are moments to play hours, sometimes just minutes. How do you handle your week or a month and keep up your playing abilities? What is the material that suits your personal progression?

A friend of mine - a drummer - said that if he plays at least 5 minutes a day, he can keep some touch to his playing. It certainly is far better than one hour once a week. So warming up, rehearsal, cooling down, or what and how?

2 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

I do wish the factory responsible would’ve done a nice flame maple topped version - not often you see that double cut LP/Hamer shape in a full scale, normally a 32”/30” scale.

Very similar was that short scale Hamer bass, but the one in the picture is a DR. Compare them side by side and you may see twins.

Paganini, but that is violin stuff and thus very hard.

Dragonetti - the Paganini of bass - has done kinky stuff for double bass.

Edgar Meyer and Niels-Henning Ørstedt-Pedersen have played some very hard arrangements. A local record reviewer had a doubt that NHØP was actually two persons playing two basses...

A young player may find it hard to play rests, or long enough notes, or legato. I still do have issues with all three.

A professional tool for sale. I listen to offers, too. Please send me a PM.

Waiting for more offers via PM. I am not very interested in trades, and 4-stringers I do still have a few.

That Roland is uncommon, as all its channels are: 3 hot, 2 cold. Not everything that those chaps behind that big water do is always a good thing. Well, not that uncommon but I have not seen such a unit in years. You might say that it is rare (like people tend to say that on any bass, that has not been built during the last two decades).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XLR_connector#Technical_usage_information

You may need to play a bit with levels, but other than that, you're on a right track.

If the mixer/PA has normal inputs, 2 is hot and 1+3 go together because of that unbalanced signal. A friend of mine just bought a Roland mixer that has 3 as hot. It took a few minutes to figure that out...

RING = red = right (fixed, thanks to @tauzero)